


We’re Timeless (but also captured in 175,580 days, or 8 moments)

by boleynhowards



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:22:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23220904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boleynhowards/pseuds/boleynhowards
Summary: Katherine Howard and Anna of Cleves originally met in the year 1539 following the former’s arrival at court.They might have been two key figures of the period, but neither of them would have expected their story to ensue the way it did.Especially not over such an obscene time frame.
Relationships: Katherine Howard/Anna of Cleves
Comments: 8
Kudos: 117





	We’re Timeless (but also captured in 175,580 days, or 8 moments)

**Author's Note:**

> tw: implied sexual abuse, panic attack, appearance issues.

_** I. 174,580 days before reincarnation. ** _

Despite what Henry might have thought, Anna of Cleves was no fool.

It was true she might have been struggling to adjust to English customs and she wasn’t solid with the language just yet, but that didn’t mean that Anna couldn’t read Henry’s emotions. Human disgust and infatuation transcend spoken language, after all.

Abhorrence was what Anna could feel directed her way everyday. Henry made it no secret that he wanted little to do with his fourth wife. This decision was set in stone practically from the day they met. Henry clearly wasn’t over his previous deceased wife and Anna was definitely not the demure bride he had been expecting.

The excuse pioneered by the king was that Anna was ugly. He claimed she was too vile for him, that they couldn’t consummate because she was such a wretch. Of course, no one dared to say that the reason Henry wasn’t performing was because of his old age and poor health - the much easier route was to paint Anna as the fault.

She tried not to let it get to her. Not too much. It was abundantly clear what the real reason was for the king’s sights being steered anyway, so Anna was sure she could deal with some teasing. Even if it was horrible, merciless and constant. 

Infatuation of Henry’s desires came in the tiny form of Katherine Howard.

Anna felt sorry for the girl more than she did herself as she watched the events play out.

Only a few years younger than the current queen, Katherine Howard arrived at court as a lady in waiting to her. Though they hadn’t really talked much, Anna had noticed that Katherine had a determination to find her own place, almost as if she was proving something to someone. It was pitiful that she had been the one to catch Henry’s eye, because whatever plans she had for herself were sure to be undermined by Henry’s desire, however unfair that was.

Though Anna couldn’t intervene. She heeded the warnings and bitter ends of her predecessors. It was necessary to stay in line, for survival’s sake.

So, ignoring the guilt plaguing her, Anna turned the other cheek on all the times that Henry would blatantly flirt with the teenage Katherine right in front of her. She wasn’t interested in him anyway, so his feelings for another woman were nothing to her. It was just this awful dread in her heart that made her want to step in.

But the Tudor court was an awful place. Anna had learnt that quickly. For her best interests, she deemed it most important to stay compliant until Henry finally let her go peacefully.

That felt like a good idea.

**_ II. 174,349 days before reincarnation. _ **

Anna was no longer the Queen of England but rather the “King’s Beloved Sister.” That was the title given to her out of gratitude for her not contesting her annulment, though Anna was sure it was just that; a title. There was nothing about her to be loved as far as Henry was concerned.

Not that Anna cared though. She had successfully manoeuvred out of a detestable and unhappy marriage, managing to accumulate unbelievable riches and properties for her cooperation. Anna was sure she had gotten the best outcome possible, even if it did mean she had to attend these monotone festivities every once in a while.

The one she attended right now was a ball of elegance and extravagance. The celebration? To commemorate Henry's new marriage. Rather ironic that Anna would be on the guest list but she didn’t argue.

An accurate prediction Anna had made just under a year before was who Henry’s fifth queen was going to be.

It was Katherine Howard.

She looked much different now, dressed up in only the finest formalwear of the kingdom and pampered in layers of makeup. It seemed they had tried to make her look mature, but that didn't work because the queen's gentle nature transcended the paint on her face to exhibit what Anna could only see as an innocent young woman at best.

Curiosity about her successor strangely ate away at Anna as she lingered around the banquet feast, her eyes always finding themselves travelling back to queen consort. Observing Katherine Howard throughout the night was easy. She skimmed the edges of the ballroom, watching her as she interacted with guest after guest, subject after subject congratulating her on a happy marriage.

Happy. Anna wanted to scoff. She looked far from happy. There was no more determination in the body language of Katherine, nothing aching to make its own in the world. It was like she had just accepted what her fate was. To be married to the king for the rest of forever.

Anna didn’t understand why the attitude of a near stranger was dampening her mood so much. She also didn’t understand why her feet were suddenly guiding her towards said stranger.

“Your Majesty.” Anna bowed a little in respect as she approached Katherine. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” Katherine sounded nervous. She wasn’t using any formalities in her speech and her tone was quiet. Anna wanted an excuse to stay talking for just a little longer. Just to observe.

Luckily, that came in the form of music.

“Would you like to dance?” Anna offered, holding out a hand.

For a brief moment, Katherine stared at her advance perplexedly. She seemed cautious and hesitant to complete the contact for a second, until she finally glanced around at her surroundings and put her hand in Anna’s. “The honour would be mine.”

The two danced in silence. Anna watched Katherine closely whilst Katherine seemed to be avoiding all eye contact. It was the first time they had been this close and Anna was one for scrutiny.

“You look deep in thought.”

Katherine startled. She was definitely in a thought train then. “Yes, I am. Just about this piece of music though.”

“What about it?”

“The composition. The chords, the notes, the instruments...” Katherine trailed off, “It gives me something to think about.”

_Something to distract yourself with?_ That was what Anna wanted to ask but she knew better than to be so blatant.

“You’re into music then, I presume?”

“I can play it, yes. I spent a lot of time learning as a child.”

Anna would have liked more on that story but Katherine’s expression made it clear she didn’t want to linger on her music lessons for whatever reason.

“They didn’t teach us such skills in Germany.” Anna responded coolly, pulling the conversation as much as she could. She didn’t know why she was so intrigued.

“I’m sure a lady such as yourself could afford the education and invest the time.”

“You’d be right.”

Before they could continue to talk though, the ballroom song was drawing to a close and it was becoming clear that other people were wanting the queen’s hand in a dance.

Anna wished she could have stayed with Katherine for longer, to continue pursuing that tempting pull of curiosity and find out more about her successor.

That wasn’t an option though, not with these noblemen yearning for a dance with their eyes. Anna hoped the queen could hold her own with the likes of them.

In one last spin, she pulled Katherine closer to her and whispered lowly, just for the two of them to hear, “Best of luck for the future, Your Majesty.”

Katherine didn’t respond, a look of confusion and mild nervousness spreading across her at that. Anna took another small bow as they detached from one another before departing.

It was getting late now and Anna had no more reason to be at the ball after her dance. Giving quick artificial thanks to the king for his residence, she escorted herself from the palace.

Her mind didn’t leave Katherine Howard for long after that evening.

_** III. 173,789 days before reincarnation. ** _

Numbness. Disbelief. Confusion. Grief.

Anna couldn’t quite explain the rush of emotions that hit her when she found out.

Katherine Howard was dead.

Executed by the king. Beheaded on charges of adultery and treason.

Adultery? Treason? Surely such crimes couldn’t have been committed by the innocent Katherine she knew.

Anna quickly learnt of the names Manox and Dereham and Culpeper. All of them were men that Katherine was accused of having a relationship with at one point. A fact that everyone was ignoring was how disgustingly large the age gap between them and her was.

“How disgraceful.”

“I would expect better from a queen.”

“Did you hear? Apparently the first blow wasn’t enough, they had to really hack at her neck.”

Anna sealed herself in her room to avoid the frantic whispering gossip of her servant staff.

It all made sense to Anna now; why Katherine arrived at the Tudor court with such resolve and why said resolve was crushed by marriage. Why she seemed so nervous to touch and be touched and why she didn’t seem to want to stay talking about that music teacher for long.

Why couldn’t anyone else see Katherine was vulnerable? That she was a victim? It couldn’t have been more obvious.

But it was too late now.

Katherine had been beheaded as a criminal, as if she had been the cunning perpetrator behind her own trauma.

She was gone.

Anna thought back to those first days that Katherine arrived in court. The days she spent watching Henry seduce her and the times she would look away.

Now she felt nothing but regret.

Perhaps if she had warned Katherine early on, then the girl would have been able to make an escape before it was too late for her, or at least end up as the third divorcee of five.

But she hadn’t warned her.

She hadn’t stepped in.

She hadn’t done anything.

And now Katherine was dead.

Anna didn’t leave her room for a while. She was too busy dwelling on what that young life could have been, if only she had intervened. Back then her own life had felt so important, but now she realised that the life she had sacrificed was just as much, if not even more so.

So she grieved.

It felt weird to grieve over the loss of someone she had barely met. Anna wondered if she was being melodramatic, but she couldn’t help but feel like something big had shifted and the world was missing something important.

Someone important.

Katherine Howard.

There wasn’t a day that her name didn’t come up in Anna’s mind.

She lived to the age of 41, dying peacefully in bed fifteen years after Katherine died by an axe to the neck.

And still not a single one of those 5475 days went by where she didn’t think of Katherine Howard.

She did try to manifest that energy into something good to remember her by though. Following on from their brief conversation about music, Anna had become fluent in the harp. Katherine was right; she did have the time and money to invest in musical skill. It provided blissful distraction too.

Years after her death, it felt like everyone had forgotten about Katherine. At least no one dared to speak her name anymore. Whatever the case was, Anna never forgot.

It was too hard to forget of that short lived bundle of curiosity and wonder; a living epitome of inquisitiveness. That’s why she remained prevalent in Anna's mind even after Henry married a sixth. When Henry died, Anna felt some sort of sick gratitude that he was finally getting retribution for what he did. Even when the sixth wife died not long after her ex-husband, Anna wondered if she and the fifth would meet in whatever the afterlife was.

And, as Anna of Cleves died, she reflected on the same thing. If she would meet Katherine again or perhaps come back as someone else entirely. She reflected on her life and her achievements and her mistakes and thought about everything until it was too hard to think about anything other than the water in her lungs and her constant struggle to respirate.

Thus, as Cleves breathed her last, the six wives were all finally left to permanent rest; no longer having to dwell on what could have been.

Or so they thought.

_** IV. 63 days after reincarnation. ** _

Being thrown into the Tudor court with no prior knowledge, Anna had learnt that adaptability was key to surviving and thriving. But the twenty first century was new and unlike anything she had encountered before, so heeding her own advice was proving to be hard. There was just so much to learn and adapt to to the point that Anna was still warming up to the world despite her reincarnation being just over two months ago.

It wasn’t the five hundred years of history she had slept through that confused her though. Nor was it the new devices called technology that drew her vex. No, it was more so the relationships that surrounded her.

Along with Anna being reincarnated, five other queens had also woken up in modern day England, specifically; the six wives of Henry VIII.

Now they all lived under one roof in modern day London. It had been a complicated start but they all decided it was best for them to stay together, at least for as long as it took them to figure out what all was going on.

Their cooperations and newly built friendships didn’t mean everything was smooth though. There was a lot of tension that was all too plain to see, which caused explosive arguments more often than not about the past. On top of these unsolved dramas were personal traumas and torments - it appeared none of them were spared the grizzly details of their old lives. Each queen had her own demons to battle with, and sometimes these hypothetical monsters manifested in the form of nightmares, hallucinations and twisted daydreams. Perhaps the most prone to these wicked fantasies was Katherine Howard.

This time, during the dead of the night, Anna found herself in the shoes of responsibility.

It was one of the times that she couldn’t coax herself into sleeping. Just as she was beginning to doze, she was jolted awake again by the sound of muffled yelling in one of the other bedrooms. Katherine.

Anna wanted to react in an instant but figured that Jane or Anne would go in and sort it out. After all, Katherine had definitely built the strongest relationship with those two of the queens. The sisterly bond she shared with Anne was obvious, as was the maternal care Jane held for the youngest of the queens. Anna was a little disheartened that she hadn’t been one of the two to lodge into Katherine’s comforts, but tried not to let it get to her. They all coped in different ways after all.

But, after a while of waiting, neither Jane nor Anne came and Katherine was still not calm. Anna knew what was needed, and with haste she climbed out of bed and approached Katherine’s room, gently pushing the door open.

It was a poor sight to see. Katherine looked terrified, locked in a nightmare as she flailed her arms in defence against whatever was haunting her dreams. Anna could only imagine what it was; after all she had heard about the girl’s life, she could only assume that it was terrible.

For a while, Anna stood there with guilt. Had she helped deliver this? If she had been more adamant on staying with Henry then she might have been his final wife and Katherine Howard would have been spared this pain and misery. It was only until she was slapped with harsh realisation that Anna began to move into action; she had stood still and watched 500 years ago. She wasn’t about to do the same thing now.

So, with a few nerves but a strong determination Anna cautiously approached and sat on the very edge of the bed. There was no sign of registering her presence, so she spoke softly. “Katherine?”

No answer. No sign of response. She was just too busy fighting inside her dream.

“Katherine. It’s me. Anna. Wake up.”

Her gestures seemed to slow, like she was rousing awake. Or perhaps she was reaching defeat in her dream. How was Anna to know which one?

“Kathe-“

Before she could finish, the girl in question bolted awake.

Her eyes were wide and tears instantly began to pour down her cheeks. From her throat emitted hoarse whimpers as she locked her hands around it, clutching her neck - probably to make sure it was still attached.

Anna desperately wanted to reach out to her. It wasn’t a right sight to see someone so gentle look so terrified. If Katherine didn’t look innocent in the first life, she definitely did now with her hot pink hair and gentle brown eyes that now dilated with terror. Anna needed to intervene. To act. To actually do something, unlike what she did before.

“Katherine, it’s-“

She darted her head around in fear at the voice breaking the silence, and Anna felt crushed to see how much panic was really swirling around her gaze. Anna knew she needed to continue.

“...It’s me. Anna. You’re safe now, okay? I’m here. You’re safe. Everything will be okay.”

Anna truly had no idea whether or not her words her good. She hadn’t been in this position before. But they seemed to work as Katherine’s breaths became more steady with time and concentration, along with supportive talk from Anna.

“I-I’m sorry.” She finally choked out when she had the power to, shyly glancing up at Anna and then averting her gaze in shame along with hiding her face in her blanket.

“Don’t apologise. I came here of my own choice and I would do it again and again and again if it meant I could help you.” Anna hated the fact Katherine even felt the need to apologise. She extended her hand and, making sure not to touch Katherine and startle her further, pulled the blanket away. “You don’t need to hide like that, Kat. I’m here for you just as much as Anne and Jane are.”

Katherine looked at her uncertainly, and Anna couldn’t help but feel a little scrutinised. What if she was remembering the past life, where she had stood aside and allowed her life ending marriage to commence?

Instead of reacting in a way that Anna would expect though, Katherine eventually tilted her head to the side in confusion. “Kat?”

Kat? What did she mean, repeating her own name? Then Anna realised; it was the first time she had used the address. Of course she had been referring to Katherine as Kat all she pleased in her mind and thoughts, but who was to say that they were close enough to delve into nicknames already? She desperately hoped she hadn’t curdled the situation into awkwardness.

“A nickname.” She explained slowly. “Kind of separates you now from you in the past, doesn’t it? That and it differentiates you from the other two.”

God, Katherine was going to think she was a loser.

“I like it.” Katherine finally broke into a small smile and Anna couldn’t describe the relief she felt. Relief and pride because the smile drew from her own nickname.

“Well then, Kat, I’m glad you do.”

After that they sat in silence. It wasn’t necessarily a bad silence, just the two of them having nothing else to say but not wanting to leave each other. It was Kat who eventually broke the silence again.

“Can you stay here tonight?” Her voice was tiny, like she was afraid of asking.

“Of course.” Anna smiled like it was nothing big to ask because, really, it wasn’t. What she didn’t expect was for Kat to shuffle to the side a little and make room in the bed.

Almost hesitantly, Anna stood up from the chair she had perched in and got into the bed next to Kat. Even though she had been the one to initiate the situation, Anna didn’t want to overstep any boundaries. Once she was in though, Kat threw the blanket back over them both and shut her eyes.

“Goodnight, Anna. Thank you again.”

“You don’t need to thank me. Goodnight.”

For a while Anna just laid there. She wondered how on earth Kat managed to sleep in this bed when it was boiling hot with the fluffy blankets and the multitude of plushie animals that were accumulating by the dozen. Perhaps the temperature wasn’t the problem though. Maybe it was who was beside her.

“Kat?” She broke the silence cautiously, her voice a whisper in case the younger had already gone back to asleep.

“Yeah?” Luckily she hadn’t.

“Can I hold you?”

There was a silence and Anna feared she had screwed up, that she was going to be kicked from the room and Anne or Jane would take her place. Just as she was about to apologise, Kat had made up her mind.

“Yes.”

It was a simple answer but it was all Anna needed. She snaked an arm from under the blanket and gently laid it over Kat, protecting her against whatever she thought might hurt her. In case she felt constrained, Anna made sure her hold was loose, just in case Kat wanted to shove her off during the night. 

Finally, after having taken that stance of subtle protection, Anna felt ready to sleep. Apparently, so did Kat. She knew that because it was quickly after that Anna began to feel the rise and fall of steady breathing against her arm and hear the gentle breaths breaking the otherwise concrete layer of blanket silence.

It was nice to see how peaceful she looked. Her posture relaxed and the tension in her features seemed to alleviate entirely, and finally it seemed that Kat was dreaming of something nice.

After that, it was easy for Anna to fall asleep too. Perhaps it was because she had finally built a bridge she had been meaning to or maybe she just liked the situation she was in.

Regardless, it warmed Jane’s heart the next morning to walk in on the two snuggled up against each other. She supposed Anna could take her job that morning and closed the door silently behind her.

_** V. 124 days after reincarnation. ** _

Four months in and the situation the queens had was finally beginning to settle. A session of group therapy seemed to have helped the queens talk out their struggles and differences, ultimately lining them up securely shoulder to shoulder.

The results of the session were great. Plans to part ways after they were all ready to face society alone were thrown out the window at this point upon the realisation that they were better off relying on each other. The often daily household argument had become much rarer and, on the odd occasion it did happen, was much less heated than before. Healthier ways of dealing with one’s problems didn’t mean said conundrums disappeared entirely though. That was the case for everyone, especially Anna of Cleves.

On this evening, she sat in her bedroom. All the queens were out apart from her; Jane taking Anne and Kat to a nighttime arcade and Catherine of Aragon accompanying Parr to a midnight book release. Despite being invited to both trips, Cleves had opted to stay at home.

She sat in front of her vanity mirror, staring at her reflection like it was her nemesis. On the table laid all sorts of scattered makeup and dirty wipes from applying and reapplying. Even with the best brands, Anna wasn’t satisfied with the result she was getting. She had purposefully purchased from the designer suppliers but nothing was happening.

The words from all the articles she had read about herself spun around in her mind. Anna of Cleves: ugly, disgusting, vile, a wretch. She had heard it all. That’s why she desperately yearned over her reflection, spending hours trying to alter how she looked but never enjoying the result.

She was exhausted. Another sixty pounds was down the drain from a lip kit she had tarnished with constant reapplication, her face was sore from continuously rubbing a makeup wipe over it and worst of all she still felt ugly. Knowing she was alone, Anna allowed herself to cry.

It was useless. She shouldn’t have been crying over something said about her hundreds of years ago but she couldn’t stop thinking about it, couldn’t stop comparing herself to the five other women she shared a house with. It wasn’t like anyone would know of her shameful pastime anyway, everyone was out-

“Anna! Anna, look!”

Kat burst into the room, clutching a pink octopus plush tightly in her fist and holding it up with glee. She looked ecstatic and Anna’s heart jumped for a second, only for it to fall when Kat’s face did.

“Why are you crying?” Kat instantly approached Anna, closing the door. Her expression was a visage of deep concern as she crouched next to Anna and looked at the mess on the desk. “Oh.” It didn’t take a lot to put two and two together and figure out why Anna was upset.

“Don’t worry, Kat. It’s stupid.” Anna hurried to wipe her eyes, regretting being so reckless and allowing Kat to see her like this. “Forget about this, okay? Let’s-“

“No.” Kat interrupted, her tone firm but not not harsh. Her seriousness surprised Anna, who had yet to see her take such an unyielding stance. She seemed to regret her tone though, quickly following up. “I didn’t mean that badly, I just meant I’m not going to forget and ignore this.”

Anna looked at her blandly and Kat sighed, continuing to speak. “Anna, you’ve been here for me since we got here. Please let me be here for you too.”

There was an uncomfortable silence between them both in which Kat sat expectantly but patiently in waiting. Anna stayed put, and for the first time ever it seemed she was too shy to meet the younger queen’s eye.

Kat was relentless though. “If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to. But you can use me as a shoulder to cry on.”

It was then that Anna cracked, letting her tears flow freely again as Kat opened her arms and pulled her into an embrace. The pair stayed like this for a while, no words between them as contact and supportive arms comforted Anna beyond anything else.

(Anna also noticed how good of a hugger Kat was, but this wasn’t the time.)

When she pulled away, Anna finally had a new found courage to speak what had been lingering around her mind since she had woken up in the modern era. She took a breath, and finally released the demon inside that had been growingwith each passing day.

“I feel like the ugly queen.” There it was. And now Anna had got it out, she couldn’t stop the rest coming too. “I mean, I went down in history as the one so horrendous she got divorced. I read all the things online they’ve said about me and they just make me realise that it’s true. And I know I shouldn’t be complaining, because all five of you got it so much worse than me and I lived pretty comfortably after Henry, but it keeps me up at night. It forces me to spend hours up here trying new looks in the mirror and it makes me try a bunch of dumb beauty remedies I found online to try and fix me. I wish... I wish I could just change me.”

Kat listened intently to every word that Anna let out, knowing that this was quite a lot for her to say - especially being the collected queen who acted the most unfazed by all that had went on previously. She didn’t know what made her feel worse; Anna’s insecurities or the fact that she felt like she didn’t even have the right to have them.

This was not Kat’s time to get upset though. She knew she had to say something but had also never been in this situation before - at least not in this position. As such, she used her last resort; simply speaking from the heart.

“Anna. I know it’s hard to believe but you’re a beautiful person. It’s what’s inside that counts, even if that does sound all stereotypical. And.. you’re one of the kindest people I met, even if you pretend to be all cool and tough.” She giggled a little, “I mean, you’ve helped me so much since we’ve been back. And I’m still working, yes, but I wouldn’t have got this far so far if it wasn’t for you helping me. You might not think you’re a good sight but the fact is that what you emit into the world feeds back into how people see you... which means that you’ve got to be one of the prettiest souls in history. Henry just needed an excuse to marry... me. But by this point we can all agree that he was worth nothing, right? So his opinions are too. You are so much more than what he had to say about you, so much more than the people who blindly believe him after everything he’s done. That, and... I think you’re pretty beautiful outside regardless.”

Kat finished her speech shyly, a pink blush on her cheeks at her last sentence. Inside she was debating whether or not she had said anything good enough. It had all just poured out after all, and she wasn’t sure if it was even helpful. She decided she wasn’t good at comforting people in the split second it took before Anna reacted.

But Anna’s response said otherwise. She pulled Kat into another hug, much tighter than the one before. “Thank you, Kat.” Her voice was sincere and she was no longer crying. For once Anna felt a little spout of real confidence. If Katherine Howard thought that highly of her looks, then surely there was something there.

As Anna pulled away, she gave Kat one more grateful smile before diverting her gaze to the vanity and the mess of cosmetics which still burdened the desk.

“Do you want me to help you clean that up?” Kat asked, making to stand up and grab some cloths from the bathroom.

“Nah, don’t worry. I’ll do it later.” Anna urged her to sit back down, which she did. Then Anna glanced to the plushie that Kat had originally burst into the room holding, which now laid discarded on the bed. Anna cracked a small smile, unsure whether her happiness came from amusement of the baby pink plush looking so out of place amongst her regal bedding or joy about the fact that Kat had diverted attention entirely to her.

Leaning over and picking up the soft octopus plush, Anna handed it back to Kat, “So, you wanted to show me this?”

Kat’s eyes lit up and she immediately launched into a spiel about the toy. “His bame is Scuba Doo! Anne won him in a claw machine.”

The rest of the evening took course of Kat rambling to Anna about the evening with the latter listening to each word fully. She always paid full attention when it came to Kat.

It was quick for the pair to grow tired after laying back on Anna’s bed and closing the curtains for the night, but Kat was the first to crash asleep. Smiling warmly at the sight, Anna tiptoed to the light switch and flickered the lights off before coming back and laying down once more.

“Sleep well, Kat.” Anna soothingly whispered as she covered the girl with the blanket and brushed some loose strands of hair out of her face. She was sure to make sure the plush octopus was secure in Kat’s grip before putting her own arm around her, the same way she did the first night they slept together.

Then both fell asleep, unknowingly dreaming of one another.

_** VI. 432 days after reincarnation. ** _

“Have you ever been in love?”

Unexpected were the words uttered from Kat’s lips. The reflex for Anna was to give a simple ‘no’, but something stopped her. For the first time, just for a moment, she began to think about the question.

Francis, Duke of Lorraine. A betrothal lasting from 1527 until 1535. She was only eleven years old at the time this was decided for her by her father, and her groom to be even younger; ten.

Looking back, Anna remembered all the times she and him were forced to converse and spend time together, in the effort that they would fall in love and become a great pair to marry. As soon as the doors were closed though, all smiles and courteous actions were dropped in the mutual knowledge that neither of them really wanted anything to do with each other.

Though she had no idea what Francis though of it, Anna knew she spent many hours laying awake trying to convince herself of her love for him. This was a futile effort, of course. The love was never there to begin with, and trying to fuel it only seemed to desecrate it even more.

Their betrothal finally broke down after the families clashed in religious alignment, and whilst it was a solemn moment for her parents, Anna couldn’t have been more rejoiced. She definitely had not been in love with Francis.

Before she could even fully emerge from that seven year experience, however, Anna suddenly found herself sitting still for hours straight as her portrait was painted by Hans Holbein. She knew she was about to be bargained off for the second time in her life; that was abundantly clear.

Then came Henry VIII; a marriage most famous and yet void of love or companionship. Given only a few days notice that she would be marrying the king before being shipped to England, Anna had little knowledge of how to court successfully with the man and even lesser affection toward him.

This manifested in the form of Henry’s shortest marriage - the pair of them were clearly butting heads from the beginning with their awkward first meeting. Anna’s repulse with the king only grew over the months with their continuously plummeting interactions and their incompatibility became clear as Henry immediately looked into annulments and became infatuated with another.

In short, despite what history and marriage swore, Anna of Cleves had not a bout of love in heart for Henry. At least with Francis, life would have been bearable. Marriage to Henry was a different story - her daily repulsion at the king saw it that she would rather die than marry him. Luckily for her, he seemed to feel the same way.

That should have been where Anna’s thought process stopped. Of course there had been the occasional knight or maiden who had caught her eye, but that was it: a simple admiration of physical appearance. Her mind should have stopped pushing forward, but Anna allowed it to anyway.

Anna’s next thoughts were that of an innocent smile. A smile caused so easily because it’s bearer was just that simple to please. That wasn’t a bad thing though - Anna found her awe cute.

Laughter that emerged from that beautiful smile was next. The sound was enticing like the tune of the pied piper in Anna’s ears. It only made her heart jump even more when she had been the one to elicit that sound. That beautiful noise, so gentle yet so alluring and somehow managing to be forever memorable in Anna’s mind despite her prolonged lifetime.

Sometimes, when she laughed, she would push strands of her hair behind her so they wouldn’t get caught. Her hair was a bright bubblegum pink yet looked so natural when it hung behind her in a high ponytail. On a rare occasion, Anna got to see it when it cascaded freely down her back, falling messily around her in an imperfectly perfect way. Anna’s fingers always found themselves twirling around the locks gently because.. she didn’t know why, they just felt nice and soft to hold and that felt like enough.

Everything about her felt like that though. It was unfamiliar at first; why Anna noticed these precise details so specifically or what the fluttering feeling in her chest was when she concentrated on them. But suddenly, as Anna looked across at the big brown eyes that had asked the question and were now curiously awaiting the answer, the solution hit her like a ton of bricks.

“Yeah, Kat. I think I have been in love.”

_** VII. 512 days after reincarnation. ** _

She was kissing Katherine Howard. 

Anna of Cleves was kissing Katherine Howard. 

It had happened so suddenly. Her eyes just closed and she leant forward and suddenly their lips were pressing together.

Rewind.

How had she gotten herself in this position?

Upon Anna’s realisation that she might like Kat as something more than a friend, she had been trying to suppress that emotion as much as possible. She couldn’t put their friendship on the line, it was too big a risk. Crushes came and went, she told herself, though she knew that this was no petty crush and this was going to be a long haul.

Much to her combined luck and dismay, Kat had only grown more and more attached to her as the days pressed on. On one hand, Anna adored every minute she spent with the fifth queen and cherished the fact that Kat actively sought her out. On the other, with every memory she made with Kat, Anna could only feel herself falling harder.

There was no way that Anna would ever just cut her out though, so she constantly tried to repress her feelings even though it was futile. Thus, it came as no surprise that the two had ended up laying on Kat’s bed one evening, alone together. What was the surprise was the fact that the conversation had turned to intimacy and suddenly they were kissing.

Oh God, they were kissing. It was everything Anna had imagined and more. Kat’s lips were mostly soft and yet a little chapped from her habit of biting them when she was nervous. Her methods were gentle yet captivating, almost as if she had all the experience in the world but was still uncertain.

Then Anna remembered. All the experience in the world. Uncertain. The harsh realisation caused her to rip away from Kat, guilt tiding through her like a tsunami as all bliss ended and reality settled once more.

“H-Huh?” Kat stuttered the question, her eyes agape all of a sudden. Anna couldn’t help but notice the underlying panic, which only fed to her ravenous feeling of misconduct.

“I’m so sorry, Katherine!” Anna exclaimed, speaking rapidly and urged forward with doubt. “I know I shouldn’t have done that, not considering everything, I just got caught in the moment and I’m really sorry.”

Anna couldn’t tell what was worse. Desecrating what she had built with Kat or making her uncomfortable. Or perhaps it was the uncertainty she felt as the girl’s face twisted into a look of perplex more than anything.

Perplex was one thing. There was also a distant panic and a definite sense of surprise. What mattered most though were the tiny words that escaped Kat’s slightly parted lips next.

“I liked it.”

“What?”

“I-I think I liked it.”

“...You liked it?” Anna asked in disbelief. It was then that she realised that perhaps an element of security factored into her reluctance of pursuing Kat, though that was an irrelevant discovery at this point. Especially considering she had just gone from silently pining after to straight up kissing the girl.

“It felt different." Kat explained uncertainly, “Different to all the other times I’ve kissed and been kissed.”

“That’s...” Anna paused for a moment with exasperation, “That’s what put me off. All the other times. I don’t want to hurt you, Kat.”

“I’m not hurt.” Kat stated simply though quietly, clearly in a deep thought. It was now that she finally chose to say what had been on her mind. “I... I feel something, Anna. And I was scared to act on it, because it felt like what they say love is like, but who am I to be the judge? I’ve already done that four times and look where that got me.” She laughed bitterly. “But I kept clinging to you anyway because I liked the feeling and now this has happened and... it’s overwhelming.”

Anna was speechless for a second. The last thing she would have ever expected to come out of this day was Kat sitting and confessing a love for her.

“I’ve felt the same.” She finally said before continuing, “And I’ve never been in love before, so I didn’t realise it ‘til it hit me suddenly, but after that...” Anna sighed and trailed off, “I tried to ignore it, because I didn’t want to ruin what we have or overwhelm you or remind you of the past.”

“But you’re not like them... right? The people of the past?” Kat sounded uncertain.

“What? No, of course not.” Anna didn’t know if she should be offended or not, “Kat, I would never do what they did.”

“Then I trust you.” She seemed to have decided on that quickly, “I mean, I am scared. I think that’s inevitable. But I also can see and tell that you’re different. I’m certain that this time is different. That you’re safe and you won’t hurt me... because why would you, after protecting me for so long? I don’t know if I know what love is, but I know that whatever I’m feeling now must be pretty close to it.”

“Then... this was okay?” Anna gestured between them both uncertainly and in slight disbelief. Kat simply nodded and hummed in agreement. “Then you wouldn’t mind exploring this more with me?”

“I think.” Kat chose her words carefully now, “With you, I think I’m comfortable with this. Just... let’s go slowly, please?”

“Of course.”

The two continued to talk into the night, occasionally sharing another swift kiss as they experimented. Nothing significant happened- not physically- but what was ignited was the beginning of a bond unbreakable. A relationship like no other as they set boundaries and laid out feelings slowly throughout the night, one by one.

By the time they were finished, Kat was curled gently in Anna’s arms. She had dozed off comfortably like any other night. Though her sleeping position remained consistent, Kat was right about one thing; Anna being different.

_** VIII. 1000 days after reincarnation. ** _

“It’s only been two years and nine months, but it feels like forever.”

“Technically it’s actually been five hundred and two years and nine months, but-“

“You know what I meant!” Anna cut her off a peck to the lips, which Kat giggled into.

It was early morning and the pair were laid out, unsurprisingly, over Kat’s bed. Anna might as well have migrated officially into her at this point, because she slept here more often than she did her own room.

Before they went downstairs to greet the other queens, the pair always spent some time laying upstairs together and talking away their grogginess. It had become routine in the last year and a half of dating.

“It is weird though. It’s been one thousand days since we woke up here.” Kat agreed finally.

“Back then you were all shy and timid and adorable, now you won’t shut up. I want the peace back.” Anna teased with a playful grin, only to earn a slap on the wrist from Kat.

“I just grew! Just like you and all the others too.” She stated defensively before trailing into another train of thought. “We grew as well.”

Anna hummed in agreement, holding Kat’s hand underneath the blanket and gazing lovingly across at her. “We didn’t really talk too much at first, did we? I thought you hated me for not stepping in when I could.”

“Yeah? Well, I thought you hated for me for stealing Henry.” Kat grinned at how outlandish their worries now seemed. “Good thing you came into my room that night and helped me.”

“I suppose that started us off, but it’s also a good thing you came into my room the other night and comforted me too.” Anna pointed out, glancing over at the octopus toy Kat had brought home so many nights ago that now sat on the dresser.

“I think we’re as equal as each other in this. Especially because we both leaned in at the same time on that one night.” Kat lamented though her tone wasn’t argumentative.

“Sounds about right.” Anna ruffled Kat’s hair which now sprawled out behind her in a wave of bedhead before standing up and stretching from the bed. “I think Jane’s waking up. You might wanna go get some cookies from the pantry for breakfast before she cooks you something proper.”

With that, Kat shot out of bed and dashed from the bedroom, a pink dart going down the stairs. Anna just smiled at the sight, shaking her head as she took some more sweet time to actually get ready to attend house breakfast.

It had taken five and a bit centuries but Anna was finally content. Content with love for she had acquired the most true beauty the world had to offer. Content with herself, for she had taken a while to recognise that the harsh comments of the Tudor court were not everything. Most importantly though, she was content with the woman who had appeared in court some five hundred years ago in 1539; Katherine Howard. Perhaps her yearning of that life was just a notion of what was to come in this one, but that didn’t matter anymore.

Anna was happy. Kat was happy. It felt like time had finally run its course, however impatiently so each had to wait. And that was all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> first published: 19/03/2020.  
> edited: 20/03/2020. proof read of sections I - IV. edits and corrections made where appropriate.


End file.
